“When films work, it gives you a huge responsibility”

The film director says he is a “worker” in Spanish cinema and regrets the “hurtful” comments he receives on social media

Director Santiago Segura The fourth installment of the film will be released in theaters on July 17. ‘There is only one father’,the successful family saga that in recent years has managed to become the highest-grossing film in Spanish cinema, and about which he says that “it is one of the few sagas that has been ‘in crescendo'”.

“Making movies work gives you a brutal responsibility. I want my name, in some way, to be synonymous with quality. That said, There are a lot of people who think my name is synonymous with fucking cinematic shit. I give my all and I feel satisfied.”Santiago Segura said in an interview with Europa Press.

The saga, as the filmmaker has highlighted, managed to get its third part to have more viewers and raise more money at the box office than the first two installments. Specifically, the third film (2022) achieved 15 million in revenue and 2.7 million viewers, while the second (2020) raised almost 13 million euros and had 2.3 million viewers and the first film (2019) collected 14 million euros and 2.5 million people.

In addition, Santiago Segura has emphasized that the project of ‘Father There Is Only One’ maintains the “spirit” by having the same characters from the beginning, something that is a “luxury that American studios often cannot have”“.

This time, ‘Father there is only one 4’ adds some new faces such as Antonio Resines, Antonio de la Torre, Mar Saura or Neus Sanz, and Toni Acosta, Loles León, Carlos Iglesias or ‘El Cejas’ remain.

For his part, Toni Acosta, in statements to Europa Press, praised Santiago Segura’s ideas to continue making new stories of ‘Father there is only one’. “I’ve never asked him how he gets his inspiration, but I think the premise is brilliant.“, he says, before explaining that this new film deals with the coming of age of the first of the six children that Javier (Santiago Segura) and his character Marisa have.

“I really liked the script and I’m looking forward to sharing it with people because what’s cool about this is how the audience receives it and what happens to them.“, the actress said.

“I AM A WORKER IN SPANISH CINEMA”

In relation to the Spanish box office, The filmmaker admits that he is “lazy” to be called the savior of Spanish cinema and maintains that he is a “worker” of Spanish cinema.

“The idea that I am the savior of Spanish cinema or King Midas has made me lazy. I am a worker in Spanish cinema who wants to do his job well and make cinema work,” he says.

In this sense, he adds that he is “encouraged” to know that some cinemas are happy to show his films because they “recover” and regrets the current situation that the cinemas are going through.There are cinemas that have reduced their staff so much that the ticket clerk is the same person who serves you popcorn and seats you. We’ll see how long it will take before he is the one who cleans between sessions.“, he commented.

“The numbers don’t add up. It’s a shame. Since the pandemic and the rise of platforms, cinemas are losing a lot,” he stressed.

On the other hand, he has spoken out in reference to the criticism that his saga has aroused on social networks, especially the message he published on X on October 4, 2023 when he announced that ‘Father there is only one 4’ would arrive this summer. “To the delight of the fans, my joy (and the annoyance of the detractors))”, he claimed.

“I understand that people are angry on social media against politicians, because they do things that affect them, but a film is too innocent for them to say hurtful things, like ‘here’s the same old shit as every year’. On social media, specifically on X (formerly Twitter), there are sad people with no lives,” said Santiago Segura in an interview with Europa Press.

The director has denounced that in X “there is no control” and has pointed out that “there is nothing more fragile than cinema.” “I find all this (the criticisms) absurd. If they have not seen the previous ones, let them live and let live. Nobody is forced to see films,” he indicated.

Despite the criticism, Segura feels “confident” that the public will support the production and go to the cinema, a plan that he believes has lost a lot of tradition in Spain.” and that he hopes to reinforce by releasing the film on a Wednesday, the day of the spectator. “We released it on a Wednesday because we know that there are people who might want to see it and are not flush with money. And we think that if we release it on a Wednesday they will go see it,” he says.